The movie, now in postproduction, is based on John Le Carre's bestselling novel. It stars Firth, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy and Mark Strong and is directed by "Let the Right One In's" Tomas Alfredson.

In addition to financing "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," StudioCanal and is distributing it in the UK, France and Germany.

“I am very happy with this agreement," the company's Chief Operating Officer, Olivier Courson, said in a written statement. "Universal is the natural home for 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,' and it’s always a pleasure for us to work with our long-time partner."

The company's EVP international distribution, Rodolphe Buet, noted in a written statement that "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" was strongly received at Berlin's film festival

"We sold a lot of territories very quickly, and now having Universal on board for the U.S. is really a great achievement," he said.

StudioCanal also co-financed Joel Silver's "Unknown," which opened Feb. 18.